SACVFD 51st Annual Spaghetti Dinner... Commerce City, CO

Friday, March 19, 2010

Adolfo Carrión Given Overview on FasTracks; part of RTD’s efforts to maximize federal funding opportunities

Washington, D.C. – Regional Transportation District (RTD) Board members and the RTD General Manager met yesterday with White House officials to discuss the FasTracks program, including a presentation on FasTracks that focused on economic benefits and sustainability improvements.

RTD Chairman Lee Kemp, 2nd Vice Chair Noel Busck and RTD General Manager Phil Washington met Wednesday at the White House with Adolfo Carrión, President Obama’s Director of Urban Affairs for the White House Office of Urban Policy. The discussion centered on the economic benefits, mobility improvements and sustainability enhancements afforded by the FasTracks program. Earlier this week, the three RTD officials met with Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Administrator Peter Rogoff at FTA offices in Washington regarding FasTracks.

Chairman Kemp said, “This was a great opportunity to tout the benefits of FasTracks, and what a strong economic engine the full program offers. Our presentation at the White House was very well received. We appreciate very much the excellent ongoing working relationship we have developed with FTA, and the strong support for FasTracks we have received in the President’s budget. This visit is part of our efforts to maximize the amount of federal funding for FasTracks.”

Earlier this year, Administrator Rogoff visited Denver and announced three FasTracks corridors are included in the President’s fiscal year 2011 budget for a total of $120 million. He then stated the Administration’s intent to support a Full Funding Grant Agreement for $1 billion for RTD’s Eagle P3 Project, a part of FasTracks that will build the East Corridor to Denver International Airport and the Gold Line to Arvada and Wheat Ride, both commuter rail lines. During that visit, Administrator Rogoff also announced the U.S. Department of Transportation’s approval of $304 million in federal loans for Denver Union Station, the central hub of the FasTracks rail corridors.